1916 5C Doubled Die Obverse AU58 NGC. FS-101. The 1916
Doubled Die Buffalo nickel is a fascinating variety, both in its
creation and subsequent discovery, many years later. Much of the
obverse is doubled--not only the date, but also the chin, throat,
feathers, and the tie on the braid. The doubling itself is quite
interesting, in that there is much separation between the two
dates, with the first date southeast of the second. The digits of
the first date, however, are prominent at the top and fade out
altogether at the bottom; apparently the working hub struck an
initial glancing blow that was axially misaligned from the plane of
the working die.
In addition to the unusual method of the variety's creation, some
46 years intervened before its discovery in 1962, and even then it
remained little-known until 1976, when it was described and
photographed in the Coin Dealer Newsletter Monthly Summary.
While the 1937-D Three-Legged is the most popular Buffalo nickel
variety, the 1916 Doubled Die is many, many times rarer.
This is a rare, near-Mint State example of the 1916 Doubled Die.
The surfaces have even, satiny mint luster over each side, with a
whisper of high-point rub. While the strike is a bit soft, as
always seen on this issue, both obverse and reverse have an
interesting mixture of steel-gray, lilac, and rose iridescence.
There are no marks of sufficient importance to warrant individual
mention. Census: 5 in 58, 9 finer (11/10).From The Camelback Collection.(Registry
values: N7079) (NGC ID# 2TSS, PCGS# 3931)